Phillips, in Collaboration With Bacs & Russo, Will Offer a Selection of Mark Cho's Excellent Timepieces From The Armoury

The Beauty in Everything Single Owner Online Auction

Hong Kong – 19 OCTOBER 2022

Phillips, Bacs & Russo, and Mark Cho, co-founder of the menswear boutique The Armoury, are pleased to announce The Beauty in Everything Single Owner Online Auction, showcasing over 50 famous timepieces from the collection of Mark Cho, an obsessive watch collector and enthusiast for almost two decades.

The auction of this 16-year-old, single-owner collection that reflects Cho's horological enthusiasm, excellent taste, and extensive watch knowledge will include vintage and contemporary timepieces by Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne, IWC, Grand Seiko, Cartier, Omega, and H. Moser & Cie. From 30 November to 6 December, on Phillips.com and the Phillips App, several watches from Cho's collection will be available for collectors throughout the world to buy exceptional timepieces. From 20-23 October and 2-6 November, selected highlights from the auction will be on display in London and Geneva, respectively. From 30 November to 6 December, a complete auction preview of the collection will be presented at The Armoury Pedder Building in Hong Kong.

Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, said, "These sixteen years have been devoted to the hunt for beautiful objects. Occasionally, I gathered "the greats," but for the most part, I collected the intriguing, the unusual, and the sublime. A fascinating hour indicator here and a superbly shaped casing there. A marvellous complexity that affected me or a period in horological history that captivated me. I discovered beauty and happiness in each of these works, which binds them all. However, at the end of the day, one individual cannot and should not retain everything. For the sake of my apparel company, The Armoury, one of my greatest passions, I am parting with the majority of my watch collection over the last sixteen years. I intend to trade these many, modest, and remarkable items that I have selfishly hoarded in exchange for a single new extension of The Armoury New York that may be enjoyed by my coworkers and clients. I hope that the future owners of these artworks find as much delight in them as I did. For novice collectors, maybe one of these items will serve as a cornerstone for your own collection, and for seasoned collectors, perhaps one of my selections will seem novel and fresh. I anticipate seeing these clocks continue their journey in the hands of collectors and watch enthusiasts throughout the globe."

Thomas Perazzi, Head of Watches for Asia at Phillips, said, "Phillips Watches is honoured to provide this wonderful collection from our friend and seasoned watch enthusiast Mark Cho. We have had the pleasure of collaborating with Mark's The Armoury on a number of projects, including the custom City Hunter 2 coats for WHO's COVID-19 fund and a series of web articles showcasing craftsmanship and personal flair. This is the first single-owner online auction conducted by Phillips Watches, and we'd like to thank Mark for entrusting us with the sale of his wonderful collection. We are ecstatic to carry on the momentum of our outstanding sales so far this year and to conclude the Watches Autumn season in Asia with one of the most exciting auctions of 2022."

The Beauty in Everything Single Owner Online Auction Highlights

A. Lange & Sohne, Lange 1 Soirée

Produced in very limited numbers, this Lange 1 from Cho's collection is a genuine spectacle in superb overall condition, with a mother-of-pearl dial with hand-guilloché motifs. It keeps all the required components of a classic Lange 1, including the huge date apertures at 2 o'clock, the power reserve indicator at 3 o'clock, an hours and minutes register, and a tiny seconds subsidiary dial, and is housed in a white gold case with a matching bracelet.

Patek Philippe, Nautilus, Ref. 3800/001

The stainless steel Patek Philippe reference 3800/001 up for auction is an excellent Nautilus. This radial grey canvas has an unusual dial with a sunburst finish and is complemented by hand-painted white minute markers. The current wristwatch, according to its Certificate of Origin and Extract from the Archives, initially left the manufacture in 1990 with a "black matte ribbed face" and "white gold indexes." In addition, a receipt from Patek Philippe is included with this clock to indicate that the upgraded grey dial with white markings was sent in 2011.

3940 Patek Philippe Ref.

The Patek Philippe reference 3940 was introduced in 1985 as a limited edition of 25 pieces to mark the 225th anniversary of Beyer Chronometrie, a famous Zurich merchant and longtime friend of the company. This particular reference 3940 has a movement from the first series with a maximum manufacturing of 1300 pieces. Earlier instances include a dial with flat, recessed sub-registers with 24-hour and leap year indications, whilst later examples have a leap year sub-dial with a cross separating the four years. In addition, as evident by the day and month indicators, this dial is an unusual variant produced solely for the German market.

Mark Cho's Favorite

Grand Seiko model SBGZ001

Cho, an admirer of Japanese design and workmanship via his profession, considers the Grand Seiko SBGZ001 on sale to be one of the brand's most ambitious creations. Made in the Micro Artist Studio, where the brand's ultra-fine, small production pieces are made, it includes a totally hand-engraved casing in their characteristic "Snowflake" design as well as a Dufour degree of movement finishing. In commemoration of the Spring Drive's 20th anniversary, a limited edition of thirty pieces was produced. This platinum reference is exclusive to Grand Seiko Boutiques and is part of a set of clocks that debuted in March 2019, driven by the Spring Drive calibre 9R02.

Total eclipse of H. Moser and The Armoury.

The Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse was designed in a unique partnership between H Moser & Cie and The Armoury, encapsulating the particular design principles of both companies. This model, which was released in January 2022 in a limited edition of 28 pieces, is available in two references and was inspired by both businesses' profound respect for superb workmanship and exquisite elegance. Both references include a dial made of Vantablack that absorbs 99.965 percent of light, representing the astronomical phenomenon of a moon blocking the sun. Using Breguet hands, a floating subdial, and a polished inner bezel, H Moser & Cie. and The Armoury added further complexity to this interesting material rather than emphasising stark simplicity.

Chanel, Monsieur de Chanel, Ref. H4800

Chanel Monsieur reference H4800 was introduced in 2016 and is a limited edition of 300 pieces, featuring 150 examples in beige gold and another 150 examples in white gold. The current watch has a beige gold case, a silvered dial with leaping hours and retrograde minutes, and a wonderfully crafted and polished mechanism. Powered by the Caliber 1, the introduction of this model also marks the historic debut of the Maison's first high-end in-house movement. The Chanel Monsieur, while holding the name of a fashion business, has been so meticulously conceived and perfectly constructed that it deserves much more attention than it gets. As an unique tribute to Chanel jewellery, the casing is crafted from their signature beige gold, as opposed to the more common yellow or pink gold.